Your GPS has never once told you that you failed.
This week I had a few conversations about goals. How we set them. How we put a date on them. And how it feels almost tragic when that date arrives and the goal isn't there yet, or it shows up looking nothing like we pictured.
Then we made a comparison I can't stop thinking about.
A goal is like your GPS.
Miss a turn and it doesn't call you stupid. It doesn't start the trip over. It doesn't make you feel like the whole journey was wasted. It just recalculates. Maybe the new route costs you a few extra minutes. And then you arrive anyway.
Life and business are no different.
The recalculation might cost you a few more days. Or weeks. Or months. Sometimes years. But a delay isn't a failure. It means you tried, you adjusted, and you're still getting there.
I've recalculated more roads than I'd like to admit. Wrong turns, dead ends, full reroutes. In the moment, each one felt like proof I'd messed up.
Looking back, they were just the route.
Steve Jobs talked about how the dots only connect when you look back, never while you're moving forward. You see the bigger picture later, and somehow it all lines up.
So if your goal is running late, breathe. You didn't fail. You're still on the way.
Recalculating. Let it be like that.
P.S. One of my best recalculations is InterioApp. Years of reroutes building quoting and order software for made-to-measure curtain and blind retailers. Still on the road, and right now with more reroutes than ever. Some sound like a threat, some like an opportunity. But still, it helps a lot of entrepreneurs and businesses stay on track. If that's your world, come say hi.
